Wood Veneer

Reference Guide

NORTON
INDUSTRIES
INC.
WOOD VENEER REFERENCE GUIDE www.nortonceilings.com

Norton Industries selects only the highest quality wood veneers for your project needs. We try
very hard to provide consistency in color, texture and graining, however, as with any natural
product, some variations will be evident. Most consider these inconsistencies as part of the
natural beauty of real wood. If consistency is critical, we have many solutions to offer.
To help in the selection process, we have created this Wood Veneer Reference Guide with detailed
information about the color, texture and characteristics of our most popular wood veneer species. If there is
a selection you are interested in, but do not see listed, please contact one of our representatives at 888.357.2345. We can source any
commercially available wood veneer and our finishing department can custom mix or match any stain color your project requires.

NOTE: These veneer samples are representative only. Natural variations in grain, figure, color, and size are common.

AFRORMOSIA
Color & Characteristics: Afrormosia heartwood ranges from pale yellow to pale brown, darkening
under influence of light. Straight to interlocked grain with possibly some mottle. Resembles teak.
Common cuts: Quarter sliced

ANIGRE
Color & Characteristics: Anigre heartwood ranges in tone from cream and pale yellow to tan and pink,
and generally presents an even color. Grain texture smooth, with occasional light silica inclusions.
Figure ranges from unfigured to highly figured, often with a pronounced fiddleback.
Common cuts: Plain sliced, Quarter sliced

ASH, WHITE
Color & Characteristics: White Ash heartwood can vary in color from pale yellow to light brown with
grayish tones, sometimes tinged with red. The sapwood is light in color and can vary from a creamy
yellow to nearly white. With a very straight and attractive open coarse grain, ash can appear similar
to red oak.
Common cuts: Plain sliced, Quarter sliced/Rift cut, Rotary cut

BAMBOO, CARAMEL
Color & Characteristics: Caramel bamboo veneer ranges from light yellow to beige to darker browns.
Stringy, lightweight and full of texture. Bamboo veneer is a beautiful green product that is not only
sustainable and renewable but is also very strong and durable. This environmentally-friendly veneer
can qualify for LEED Credit MR 6.0.
Available in: Narrow or Wide Cane

BAMBOO, NATURAL
Color & Characteristics: Natural bamboo veneer ranges from light yellow to beige brown. Stringy,
lightweight and full of texture. Bamboo veneer is a beautiful green product that is not only
sustainable and renewable but is also very strong and durable. This environmentally-friendly veneer
can qualify for LEED Credit MR 6.0.
Available in: Narrow or Wide Cane

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BEECH, EUROPEAN STEAMED

Color & Characteristics: European Steamed Beech heartwood varies from pale pink-brown to a rich,
reddish-brown when steamed. The sapwood is pale with a slight red tinge. A characteristic fleck makes
the fine, even texture of the close, straight grain readily recognizable.
Common cuts: Plain sliced, Quarter sliced, Rotary cut

BIRCH
Color & Characteristics: Birch heartwood ranges from light to medium dark brown or reddish-brown.
The sapwood can appear light tan to pale yellow. Grain is tight and smooth with normal amounts
of figure and other characteristics.
Common cuts: Plain sliced, Rotary cut

CHERRY
Color & Characteristics: Cherry heartwood ranges from red to reddish-brown. The sapwood can be
yellow to pale reddish-brown. Darkens under exposure to light to a warm reddish-brown to pale golden
brown color. Contains pith flecks and gum pockets. Quarter cut has straight grain.
Common cuts: Plain sliced, Quarter sliced

DOUGLAS FIR
Color & Characteristics: Douglas Fir heartwood is a light reddish-brown shade while its sapwood
is creamy yellow. It has a high contrast between the early wood and late wood with extremely tight
and straight fine vertical grain lines developing when the wood is quarter sliced.
Common cuts: Quarter sliced, Rotary cut

EUCALYPTUS
Color & Characteristics: Eucalyptus veneer has a wide range of textures, figures and colors. It has
a unique figure that almost shows movement. Also known as Tasmanian Oak. It has a pink to golden
brown color and often has a button-type figure.
Common cuts: Quarter Plain slice, Quarter Figured - Broken Bees Wing

HICKORY
Color & Characteristics: Hickory heartwood is light brown to reddish-brown in color and the sapwood
is cream to pale yellow. Contains variegated grain pattern, color variation, and color streaks.
Common cuts: Plain sliced, Rotary cut

MAHOGANY
Color & Characteristics: Mahogany heartwood varies from light to dark reddish-brown to deep, rich
red. The sapwood is light yellow to pale brown. It is mostly straight-grained, and ranges from medium
to coarse, with a uniform texture.
Common cuts: Plain sliced, Quarter sliced, Rotary cut

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MAPLE, SELECT WHITE

Color & Characteristics: Select White Maple is predominantly sapwood and is near white with a slight
reddish-brown tint. Fine even texture.
Common cuts: Plain sliced, Rotary cut

MAPLE, WHITE
Color & Characteristics: White Maple veneer is generally creamy white with a slight reddish tint.
Surface is smooth, tight, and dense. Growth rings are light and at times indiscernible. Quarter sliced
produces a straight grain in this veneer.
Common cuts: Plain sliced, Quarter sliced, Rotary cut

OAK, RED
Color & Characteristics: Red Oak heartwood ranges from golden light brown to reddish-brown.
The sapwood can be white to light brown in color. Sharp contrast between coarse early wood and
smooth late wood. It is open grained and in its plain sliced form expresses a very strong cathedral"
type grain pattern.
Common cuts: Plain sliced, Quarter sliced, Rift cut

OAK, WHITE
Color & Characteristics: White Oak veneer has a pale yellow brown color and a more even grain than
Red Oak. The heartwood may be either light brown in color, or a darker brown with deep, golden
tones. The sapwood is fairly prevalent and is light in color and can range from a pale yellow-brown
to a grayish-white. In quarter sawn, it has a very recognizable flake or tiger figure.
Common cuts: Plain sliced, Quarter sliced, Rift cut

SAPELE
Color & Characteristics: Sapele heartwood seasons to dark reddish or purplish brown. Considerable
variations in the grain are typical. Pronounced striped effect when quarter sliced. Pommele figure
from rotary cut veneer appears as diagonal waves of varying intensity.
Common cuts: Plain sliced, Quarter sliced, Rotary cut (for Pommele figure)

WALNUT
Color & Characteristics: Walnut heartwood varies from a dark tan to a rich, dark brown, and matures
to an almost purplish-black hue. The sapwood is creamy white in color and fairly prevalent. Its grain
pattern varies from very straight to interlocked and natural features include crotches, swirls, burls,
and pin knots.
Common cuts: Plain sliced, Quarter sliced

Other resources available for understanding veneers, species, grades, matching, core selection, and more are:
Architectural Woodwork Standards; www.awinet.org
Hardwood Plywood Handbook, HPVA (Hardwood Plywood & Veneer Association); www.hpva.org
Formwood Industries, www.formwood.com

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Veneer Attributes
Veneer reduces the harvest of both common and exotic woods. The milling process of veneer in and of itself reduces waste.
Solid wood timber is typically sawn into 1" thick boards. The sawblade itself cuts a space (called a 'kerf') between boards 1/16"
to 1/4" thick that winds up as waste. Veneer, on the other hand, is not cut from the log, but is sliced with a knife into leaves
or sheets with little or no sawdust at all. This produces 42 wood surfaces using veneer for every one surface that a 1" board
produces, thereby reducing the demand for solid wood.

Veneer Cuts
The size of the log, the species of wood, the grain pattern desired, and other factors, determine which type of cut will be made
to create veneer. Below are some of the mosts common methods of cutting logs.

PLAIN SLICE OR FLAT CUT

The slicing is parallel to the center of the log.
This creates a "cathedral effect" formed by the
innermost growth rings.

RIFT CUT
The slicing is at a slight angle to minimize the
irregularities in the wood. This cut creates a narrow
striped grain appearance and is used primarily for
red and white oak.

ROTARY CUT
The log is centered on a lathe and turned against
a broad cutting knife set into the log at a slight
angle. This cut creates a variegated figured grain
appearance. Rotary veneer is not matched due to
nature of cut. Seams have uniform grain and color.

QUARTER SLICING
The slicing is made perpendiculars to the annual
growth rings of the tree. This creates a straight
grain appearance.

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Norton Industries, Inc. 1366 W. 117th Street, Lakewood, OH 44107 216.228.6650 888.357.2345 fax: 800.462.6650

Norton Industries uses solid woods and veneers harvested by suppliers certified by one of The Forest Stewardship Council
third party organizations. We also offer solid woods and veneers that carry the FSC Chain of Custody Certificate.